First-hand accounts of the Berklee experience

I have one week left. The nostalgia is already kicking in. Here’s one last post!

Although I did something literally every single day, all summer, I still know there is so much more to do in Los Angeles. Here, I felt like a tiny fish in a massive ocean, with endless opportunities and experiences to discover. I’m truly looking forward to my future career, and my experiences here have affirmed my hope that I will be successful in following my dreams.

Friday fun at Tunecore!! I wanted to get everyone in the office, but some of them snuck out before Katie got out her selfie stick..

Here are some things I have learned. This is my attempt to sum everything up from this summer. (Wish me luck).

Also disclaimer! This is only based off some of my experiences. Many things go down differently. I’m not stating fact. Just some thoughts I’ve had.

I can make anywhere home. Maybe not forever. But being here really wasn’t as big of an adjustment as I imagined. Yes, I’m a city girl who loves walking to places. I love the European lifestyle. But LA is a really cool place. I’m not done with it yet.

First impressions count for everything. People you meet won’t be asking for your resume when you start talking at a coffee shop, or at a party, or when they come into your office to meet with your boss. They’ll base their opinion of you off your first conversations. THEN, if they want to help you out in some way, they’ll ask for your proof that their first impression was correct.

Ask people to get coffee to just talk about themselves. Who wouldn’t want to talk about themselves? When you’re a young person trying to break into the industry, simply asking something like, “Do you have time to grab coffee? I’d love to ask you some questions and pick your brain about the industry.” means that you’re offering someone the chance to talk about everything they do. What they love, what they hate. It is SUCH a wonderful way to learn.

Driving everywhere isn’t that bad. You get to listen to all the new music people are talking about. And you adjust plans according to traffic. When I work in Burbank, I make plans with my friends who live around Burbank, so that by the time I’m driving home, it’s past rush hour. Or I find a cute cafe and get some work done. Yesterday, I went to see a movie I’ve wanted to see anyways near where I work instead of sitting in traffic. By the time the movie was over, traffic was over!

Discovering places alone is incredible. While daunting at first, I’ve honestly found a new kind love for doing things alone. I went to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Phil playing the score LIVE (!!) all alone. I had the BIGGEST smile on my face the entire night. I went to the beach on my own, brought a book, and listened to the waves. I went to a few movies, cute cafes, and museums. Had the time of my life, seriously.

The Broad Museum is breathtaking. I walked around the entire place giddy and laughing to myself at the perfection of everything inside.

LA is diverse. You can find anything and everything. The options are limitless, and that’s what I need if I’m going to realistically consider moving somewhere.

People here GET what goes into a great film/show. Or a great score. And that’s what I’ve obsessed over since I was five. I talk to anyone who will listen about the latest show/score/movie/actor I’ve discovered. People here get it because almost every human being in LA is involved in the industry (I’m exaggerating). People are already watching the shows I’m discovering. They already know what had to happen to get that composer involved. They’re not just talking about my newest discovery, but I’m hearing about the entire process of making them happen.

Everyone knows everyone, somehow. The industry is HUGE. But also smaller than you would think. But someone here told me, if you’re great at what you do, people know you. If you are okay, you are just in the enormous sea of “okay” people. And the fact that hearing that doesn’t deter me, it just makes me excited, shows me that in my gut, I know I need to be here.

Every single interaction, every task, every job I have had to do here has taught me something. I’ve learned that I need to be planning, coordinating, talking to people, collaborating. I’ve learned that I truly want to try to make it in the film score world – whether that be working at a film music agency, or by being a composers assistant or music editor – not sure yet. Through my two internships, I’ve been able to learn about both the sync world, and the score world. Music supervisors want cool artists and songs to put in their shows and movies, and while finding those sync-able songs is so much fun, what really makes my heart excited is the score. This summer confirmed that more than ever before.

Put. Yourself. Out. There. People don’t know what you want unless you tell them. Maybe they can’t help you. Maybe they don’t want to. Who cares? You talk about your passions, your interests, your dreams. You establish relationships with people who you could see yourself working for/with, and you let them knowwhat you can do for them, and maybe one year later – or ten years later, they think of you for their coolest new project.

I’ll be moving here. I’ve been lucky enough to be offered a little mini internship at a really great agency that represents some of my favorite film scorers. I’m coming back in January for a week or two to experience the day to day. Maybe I want to be an agent! My time there will show me more about that. Next summer, I’ll make the big move. I’ll be reaching out to the wonderful people I’ve met this summer who told me contact them when I move out here. I’m honestly so excited. I know great things are to come.

Thank you all for reading my posts this summer, it’s been quite a ride. Catch me back in Boston this semester, and/or on social media!! Xx

Christina Azarian is an Armenian Francophile raised just outside of Boston. Following in her father's footsteps, she began playing piano at the age of four, and attributes her passion for music to her love of film scores. In her spare time, she can be found planning an event, her next trip, or most importantly, her next meal. Her LA adventures can also be followed on Instagram, @x.a.a.

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